Mending Broken Hearts
by cleotheo
Summary: After the end of her affair with an engaged Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger disappears from the wizarding world. After a chance encounter two years later can Draco make up for his past mistakes and win back the woman he loves? And what secret is Hermione hiding from Draco as they reconnect?
1. Chapter 1

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore drifted into the bedroom as the two lovers reached their climax. With cries of ecstasy the two people on the bed collapsed back onto the silk sheets, not bothering to cover their nudity.

Once she had caught her breath Hermione Granger propped herself up on her elbow and looked over at her lover, Draco Malfoy. Draco was still lying with his eyes shut but when he felt Hermione watching him he opened them and smiled cockily at her. Hermione smiled back before leaning down and pressing her lips softly against Draco's, normally he would have deepened the kiss but he left the kiss as a chaste one.

Pulling back Hermione sighed deeply as she looked into the eyes of the man she had never meant to fall in love with. What had started out as a one night stand eight months ago had developed into a full blown affair and Hermione had found herself madly in love with a man who was due to be married to another woman in a month's time.

Draco had never lied about the fact he was engaged and Hermione was aware of the situation the very first time they tumbled into bed together. At the time however Hermione was slightly drunk and reeling from a nasty break-up, the fact that Draco was engaged to Pansy Parkinson had never crossed her mind until the following day. When Hermione questioned Draco the following morning he admitted the marriage was an arranged one between the two families, he and Pansy didn't love each other, they were going through with the wedding because it was expected of them.

"This is goodbye, isn't it." Draco's voice pulled Hermione out of her thoughts.

Hermione nodded as she sat up in bed, pulling the sheets up to cover her still naked form. "We knew this day was coming." She whispered.

Every time the couple had met up over the last month there was an growing air of finality to their meetings. The minute they had stepped foot into Draco's beach house earlier that afternoon they had both known that when they left again they would be saying goodbye.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Draco sighed, moving so he was sitting next to his lover.

"It's not your fault, Draco." Hermione said, leaning her head on Draco's shoulder.

While Hermione would have loved Draco to leave Pansy and be with her she knew that would mean throwing away his entire life. There was a good chance Lucius would never forgive his son for running off with a muggleborn and Hermione knew how hard Draco worked to make his father proud of him.

"It is." Draco whispered, wrapping his arms around Hermione and kissing the top of her head.

Draco wished he was brave enough to end his sham of an engagement but he was wary of leaving everything he knew behind when he wasn't even sure how he felt about Hermione. Draco thought he could quite possibly be in love with the brunette witch but emotions weren't his strong point so he shied away from them the majority of the time.

"We should go." Hermione said, although she made no attempt to remove herself from Draco's embrace.

"Five more minutes." Draco pleaded, tightening his hold on his lover. He knew that when they left they would likely never speak again and he wanted to drag out the time they had remaining.

"Okay, five more minutes." Hermione agreed as she tried to fight the tears that were threatening to fall.

Draco and Hermione actually remained curled up on the bed for another hour before they reluctantly parted and began dressing. Once they were dressed they stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, neither sure of what to say.

"Hermione, I …" Draco began to speak but Hermione moved forward to place a finger over his lips.

"Don't." She said quietly before removing her finger and softly kissing Draco one final time. "Goodbye, Draco."

Stepping back Hermione looked at Draco one final time before she pulled out her wand and dissapparated. As the bedroom disappeared from view Hermione tried to pretend she hadn't heard Draco's parting words of 'I love you'. While Hermione may have longed to hear her blond lover tell her he loved her, she would rather not hear it as she disappeared from his life.

The minute Hermione arrived home to her small flat she erected her wards so no-one could come in, then she curled up in bed and let the tears flow. Hermione remained in bed for the rest of the evening, eventually crying herself to sleep in the early hours of the morning.

All weekend Hermione remained in her flat with her wards erected, she had no idea if anyone tried to contact her but she really couldn't have cared less. Hermione spent the entire weekend in a pit of depression as she mourned her relationship with Draco. By the time Monday morning rolled round Hermione had made a monumental decision about her life and her future.

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**_00000_**

* * *

"YOU'RE WHAT?" Ron Weasley shouted at the top of his voice.

"I'm leaving, Ronald." Hermione replied calmly.

It was Friday night, exactly a week after her last encounter with Draco, and Hermione was telling her friends about her decision. For the last five days Hermione had been organising everything so that she was ready to leave the following morning. She had packed up her flat and put it on sale, she had quit her job and now she was saying goodbye to her friends.

"But, why?" Harry Potter asked bemused by the abruptness of Hermione's decision.

"I've told you Harry, I want to explore the world." Hermione said, not quite telling the truth. She had no plans on travelling, instead she had bought a cottage on the Isle of Wight and planned on trying to write a novel. "There's so much to see and do, I don't want to be stuck in London."

"Well I think it's a brilliant idea." Harry's girlfriend, Ginny Weasley said as Harry opened his mouth to protest some more.

Hermione shot the redhead a smile, knowing she had deliberately stepped in to stop Harry arguing. Ginny was the only person who knew of her affair with Draco and Hermione was pretty sure the redhead knew he was also the reason she was leaving.

"Don't look so sad, you two." Hermione smiled at her two friends dejected expressions. "I'll write all the time and I'll not be gone forever."

"We'll really miss you." Harry said, moving to sit beside Hermione.

"Yeah, what will we do without you?" Ron asked, moving to sit on the other side of Hermione.

"I'll miss you both, as well." Hermione sniffed, the tears starting to fall as the reality of what was happening kicked in. "I love you, both so much."

Ron and Harry both wrapped their arms around Hermione and gave the crying witch a hug. Ginny watched the trio with a tear in her own eye, ever since Hogwarts they had been a trio and she couldn't help but wonder how Harry and Ron would cope without their best friend to steer them in the right direction.

"When are you going?" Ron asked as the hug broke up.

"Tomorrow." Hermione replied, wiping at her tears.

"TOMORROW?" Ron jumped up and began pacing the floor in the flat he shared with Harry. "You can't leave tomorrow, we have to throw you a leaving party. If you're going, you're going in style."

"I don't want a party, Ron." Hermione insisted. "I just want the four of us to have dinner, like we planned. Tomorrow morning I'm going to visit The Burrow and say goodbye to your parents, then I'm leaving. I don't want a fuss."

"But." Ron started to protest but stopped when Hermione glared at him. "Fine, I'll not make a fuss."

Hermione stood up and gave her friend a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, Ron."

"Come on, let's go to dinner." Ginny said, dragging Harry up off the sofa.

Hermione quickly ran to the bathroom to make sure she looked presentable after her earlier cry before the four friends apparated to the restaurant in Diagon Alley where they had reservations. For the rest of the night Hermione's departure wasn't mentioned as the four friends just enjoyed spending time together.

The following morning when Hermione visited The Burrow she was shocked to find the whole family present. Ron admitted that he had gathered everyone so Hermione could say goodbye to the whole of the family. After yet another cry, Hermione spent the morning saying goodbye to the family she considered her own before she left, not knowing when she would return.

* * *

**_00000_**

* * *

Hermione sat on her bathroom floor, staring at the small stick in her hand. She was pregnant, pregnant with Draco Malfoy's baby. Hermione stared at the muggle pregnancy test for several more minutes before throwing it into the bin and standing up. After washing her hands Hermione left the bathroom and wandered into her small garden.

Hermione had left London three weeks ago and was just settling into her new life on the Isle of Wight. Now she had a second life to consider, a baby she hadn't planned for. Hermione didn't even have to think about whether she was keeping the baby, planned or not it was her child and she would love it. The only thing Hermione had to decide was whether or not to tell Draco.

Normally Hermione wouldn't think twice of telling Draco about the baby, but the timing of her discovery left a lot to be desired. As Hermione was discovering she was carrying Draco's child he was marrying Pansy Parkinson. Hermione had been aware of what day it was all day and if she was being honest she knew she had done the pregnancy test that day so she wouldn't feel the loss of Draco so heavily.

Hermione sat in her garden thinking until the sun began to set. As darkness fell Hermione went indoors and made herself something to eat. Curling up on the sofa with a plate of pasta, Hermione flicked on the television so she didn't have to think. Ten minutes later she flicked it back off as had no idea what she had just watched.

Using magic to get rid of her dirty dishes, Hermione settled back down as she made her final decision. She had decided not to tell Draco about the baby, he had just gotten married and it wasn't fair to just walk back into his life now with a baby on the way. Hermione felt guilty of depriving him of the opportunity of seeing his child but she consoled herself with the fact he would have children with Pansy, his legitimate children that would have his name.

Sighing Hermione placed a hand on her still flat stomach. "It looks like it's just you and me, baby."

* * *

**A/N - Just to let everyone know this will be a short story. I already have the first six written so hopefully I can finish the story quite quickly and publish quickly. **

**Hope you enjoyed the first chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Two Years Later.**

Draco finished unpacking his bag before wandering over to the window that overlooked the beach. For the last two years Draco had avoided visiting the coast, it reminded him too much of the time he had spent with Hermione. He had once even considered selling the beach house they used to meet up in, he hadn't set foot inside since that last day he had been there with Hermione. Eventually he decided to keep it, figuring one day he might pluck up the courage to visit the place that held all his best memories.

Looking down at the gorgeous beach, Draco relived the pain of losing Hermione. Deep down he knew it was his own fault that he had lost the witch he was so in love with. It had taken him so long to accept that he loved her that he hadn't had the courage to tell her to her face, instead he had whispered it as she apparated out of his life and he had no idea if she had even heard him.

Draco also knew he should have gone after her right there and then, instead he had gone home and gotten sucked into more wedding plans. It had taken him another three weeks before he realised that he couldn't marry Pansy, he wanted to be with Hermione regardless of what his father would say. Breaking the engagement had been messy, especially dealing with his irate father, but it was something that Draco didn't regret for one moment. He did however regret taking so long to end his engagement.

By the time Draco had called off the wedding and gone to see Hermione she had disappeared. Draco was so desperate to find her he even threw himself on the mercy of Potter and Weasley, practically begging them to tell him where Hermione was. According to Hermione's two friends the witch had gone travelling and they had no idea where she was, Draco wasn't sure if he believed them but for two years they had stuck to exactly the same story.

As Draco watched the people strolling on the sand his eyes fell on the back of a brunette woman with long, curly hair. Instinctively his heart sped up at the sight and with great effort he turned away from the window. Since Hermione's departure Draco had felt the elation often as he thought he had found Hermione, only to have his heart shattered again when the woman in question turned around and he didn't recognise her. By turning away he was stopping his hopes from building up too high, he knew he wasn't going to find Hermione, but that didn't stop him from wishing.

Trying to forget all about the woman outside Draco turned his attention back to the reason he was staying in a muggle hotel for the weekend, he was trying to close a business deal his father had spent ages setting up. Lucius had spent months dealing with the wizard, who was in the potions business, as he looked to extend their own line of products.

At the last minute however the wizard in question had announced he was off on his summer holidays for a month and if Lucius wanted the contract signed he would have to come to him. Lucius was fine with the idea until he learnt the wizard in question was married to a muggle and always holidayed in the muggle world, specifically Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. Lucius wasn't comfortable with spending time around so many muggles so he had passed the buck onto Draco. Draco had argued vehemently against the trip but Lucius was adamant they needed the contract so Draco had found himself booked into the most expensive hotel in Shanklin for the weekend.

Realising he should be getting ready for his meeting Draco headed into the bathroom where he took a quick shower, he then got dressed before leaving his room and the hotel. Draco had directions to get to the wizard's house, which would apparently take him less than ten minutes if he walked. Checking the directions and thinking they seemed clear enough Draco set out to walk to his meeting.

As he walked to his destination Draco couldn't help but look at the scenery, it really was a beautiful place and he was seriously considering extending his stay. Since Hermione had left Draco had worked practically every day to take his mind off things, but he now thought that maybe he needed a break. Before he could even think about taking a break however he needed to get the contract signed for Lucius. Putting all ideas of holidays from his head Draco settled into business mode as he arrived at his destination, finding the wizard he was meeting waiting for him at the door.

After a long meeting, trying to get the contract satisfactory to both parties, Draco returned to his hotel. He had another meeting the following day to actually sign the contract but overall he was pleased with the days outcome.

After checking the time and discovering it was too early to eat Draco decided to have a walk along the beach. Draco walked for quite a while, his mind pre-occupied with the past. Eventually he headed back towards the hotel, he had decided he wasn't going to stay any longer then first he intended on the Isle of Wight, instead he was going to go somewhere more private for a week or two.

Draco had just arrived back at the hotel and was debating whether to visit his own beach house for a while when he caught sight of a brunette women out the corner of his eye. Turning his head fully Draco realised it was the woman he had seen earlier that morning, only now she was heading in the opposite direction. Like that morning Draco couldn't help but think about Hermione as a small part of him began to hope he had found her.

Stopping himself before he approached a total stranger Draco turned away and quickly hurried into the hotel. As he went up to his room Draco knew it was time for him to take a break, he couldn't carry on the way he had been. He couldn't keep thinking every woman he saw with curly, brunette hair was going to turn out to be Hermione. It was time he faced the truth, unless his former lover returned to the wizarding world he wasn't going to see her again.

* * *

_**00000**_

* * *

Draco was sitting on the beach, eating an ice cream. Earlier that morning he had signed the contract he had come for and sent it off to his father. There was no real reason for Draco to still be in Shanklin, he really should check out of the hotel and either go home or go away like he had been planning on doing. Draco however was in no hurry to do either of those things, for the moment he was content to sit on the beach as he watched the waves.

Nearly half an hour later Draco left the beach and headed towards some nearby shops. As he wandered through the shops he couldn't help but enjoy the anonymity that came with being in the muggle world. In the wizarding world everyone knew who he was and most people had an opinion on both him and his life. Some people were perfectly friendly, accepting that he had changed and was trying to make amends for his past. Some people however couldn't get past the fact he had been on the dark side during the war, all they saw when they looked at him was an ex Death Eater who had managed to avoid going to Azkaban.

As Draco left the last shop and turned back in the direction of the hotel, a flash of curly, brunette hair caught his eye again. Once again Draco found himself staring at the back of the woman he had nearly approached yesterday, at least he thought it was the same woman as the previous day, while her clothes were different there was something so very familiar about her. Draco was just about to turn away again when the woman moved her head, giving him a quick glimpse of her profile before she disappeared into a shop.

Draco stood frozen at the sight, while he had just caught a quick glimpse of the woman's face, he had recognised her. The mysterious woman was Hermione Granger. For eight months she had been his lover and she had haunted his dreams for the past two years so there was no way Draco was mistaken.

Somehow Draco had managed to find the woman he loved without even trying. For months after her disappearance Draco had scoured the wizarding world looking for her, he'd even bribed several officials around the world into confirming that she wasn't registered as living in that particular country. Eventually Draco had given up his search, he had come to the conclusion that if Hermione was living in the wizarding world she was covering her tracks pretty well. He also knew that if she was living in the muggle world he had no idea how to go about tracing her.

Draco was still standing frozen in shock when he spotted Hermione leaving the shop. Any miniscule doubts about her identity were banished the second he got a good look at her from the front. Two years hadn't made much of a difference to Hermione's appearance and Draco instantly recognised the witch he had missed so much.

Draco was still so surprised to just randomly find Hermione that she had headed into the next shop before he had time to approach her. While Hermione was in the second shop Draco pulled himself together and approached the shop doorway, ready to speak to the witch when she emerged. When Hermione did emerge Draco paused only momentarily before approaching her from the side.

"Hermione."


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione's head whipped round at the familiar voice calling her name. She was half convinced she was imagining things until her eyes focused on the man standing beside her, with his platinum blond hair and piercing grey eyes there was no mistaking Draco Malfoy.

"Draco?" Hermione questioned. Even though she knew it was her former lover standing in front of her she was still surprised to see him in the muggle world.

"Hello, Hermione." Draco replied, his perfectly composed demeanour slipping into place despite the shock he was feeling.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, wondering if somehow he had managed to track her down deliberately.

"I had a bit of business." Draco answered, briefly mentioning the reason for his visit.

As Draco was mentioning the reason for his visit the couple realised they were partially blocking the entrance to the shop. Moving away from the entrance they walked a few paces to a nearby bench and sat down together.

"So you're not here on holiday, it's a shame it's a beautiful place. Although I can't imagine Pansy would like an island full of muggles." Hermione said, unable to resist a dig at her former rival.

"No, I don't suppose she would." Draco agreed. "Luckily I don't have to worry about what Pansy would like."

"I thought husbands were supposed to care about what their wives thought." Hermione said, surprised by Draco's words. While she knew he didn't love Pansy she knew they had a solid friendship and Draco did care for the Slytherin witch.

"They do, but I'm not Pansy's husband." Draco couldn't help but smirk at the delight that flooded Hermione's face before she schooled her features into one of surprise.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "I wouldn't have thought your parents would approve of divorce."

"They don't, but there was no need for a divorce. I didn't marry Pansy." Draco said, watching Hermione's reaction carefully.

Hermione was speechless, she had no idea how to react. She had left because Draco was getting married, that was even the reason she hadn't told him about her pregnancy. Now she was discovering that he hadn't gone through with the wedding and things could have been very different between them.

"I'm sorry." Hermione finally said. She wasn't sorry but it seemed an appropriate response.

"Don't be, I'm not. Breaking the engagement was the best thing I ever did, I should have done it sooner." Draco said. "Maybe then I wouldn't have lost you."

"We can't change the past." Hermione sighed, wishing that they could turn back time and handle things differently.

"No, but maybe we can put it right." Draco replied. "Maybe this time we can get what we want."

"And what do you want, Draco?" Hermione asked. During their affair he never seemed to know exactly what he wanted, or more accurately who he wanted to please, himself or his father.

"I want you, I always have. The biggest regret of my life is letting you leave that day." Draco admitted. "I know I can't have that right away so for now I'll settle for wanting to take you to dinner tonight."

"I don't know if I can, tonight's pretty short notice." Hermione said. With a young child to think of making spontaneous plans was a thing of the past. "How long are you here for?"

"I'm actually due to leave today, but I was considering staying on." Draco said. "I'll definitely stay a bit longer now, unless you want nothing to do with me. If you really want me to leave I can go and I'll never bother you again."

"I don't want you to go." Hermione said quietly. They'd already messed up once but Hermione knew she couldn't let Draco go again without trying to establish if they still had something worth trying to rescue. "I'm not sure about tonight but why don't you tell me where you're staying and when I find out if I can make it I can leave you a message."

"Okay." Draco said, telling Hermione the name of the hotel he was staying at. "But if you can't make dinner, I want to see you again tomorrow. We really need to talk."

"That's fine." Hermione said, standing up and picking up her bags of shopping. "I have to go now, I'll be in touch later this afternoon."

Draco also rose from the seat and for a few minutes the former lovers looked awkwardly at each other. Both of their natural instincts told them to initiate physical contact but they also both knew it was too soon. Eventually they settled for exchanging polite smiles and goodbyes before they went their separate ways.

* * *

_**00000**_

* * *

Hermione's head was still full of Draco by the time she returned home. She still couldn't believe that after two years they had just accidently bumped into each other. As she entered her house Hermione tried to forget all about her ex-lover but that proved impossible as she entered the front room to find her son sitting on the floor, his toys spread all around him.

One of the reasons Hermione never returned to the wizarding world after giving birth was the fact it was obvious who her son's father was. He had Draco's icy grey eyes and while his short hair was curly it was a very distinct shade of pale blond. If by some chance people didn't see the similarity with their looks she felt his name might raise a few questions. Hermione knew that Draco had intended to carry on the tradition of naming his children after constellations and stars so when the time came to pick a name it was there that Hermione looked as she sought inspiration. Eventually Hermione settled on the name Scorpius, it was an unusual name and Hermione knew that people would have asked her about its origins.

"Did you get everything, dear?" A voice coming from the sofa made Hermione realise she had been standing in the doorway staring at Scorpius.

"Yes." Hermione turned and smiled at the middle aged woman who had been looking after her son.

Alice Hope was Hermione's next door neighbour and they had become friends while Hermione was pregnant. Alice had quickly become like a mother to Hermione and she doted on Scorpius, always willing to look after him if Hermione needed any time alone.

"Are you all right, Hermione?" Alice asked, standing up and grabbing the two shopping bags out of Hermione's hands. "You look a bit shaken."

"I've just had a bit of a surprise." Hermione replied, moving to pick up Scorpius. "I've just bumped into Draco."

Alice gasped in surprise, before rushing off to make tea so Hermione could fill her in on what had happened over a cuppa. While she was pregnant Hermione had confided in Alice about Draco and the reason she had left. Apart from revealing she was a witch Hermione had told everything to Alice, she was fully aware of what the situation had been like before she moved to the Isle of Wight.

Hermione sat down on the sofa and hugged her son close to her, until the struggling boy made it clear he wanted to return to his toys. Kissing Scorpius on the top of his head Hermione returned him to his play mat as Alice returned with the tea.

"So what happened?" Alice asked, handing Hermione her tea. "Did Draco come to see you?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, he's here on business. We bumped into each other accidentally."

"Oh, did you speak or was it a quick encounter?" Alice asked.

"We spoke briefly. He asked me to dinner tonight." Hermione admitted.

"What about his wife?" Alice queried. She loved Hermione like a daughter and while she knew the brunette was still in love with her ex she didn't want her to end up becoming his mistress again.

"He's not married, he didn't go through with the wedding." Hermione said.

"Why?"

"He didn't say exactly, but he implied it was because of me."

"Does that mean you're going to dinner with him?" Alice asked. Hermione had been given a second chance at happiness, she just hoped the younger woman didn't blow it.

"It's too short notice." Hermione shrugged. "I've got Scorpius to think about."

"I'll look after Scor, you know that." Alice said. "Contact him and tell him you want to go to dinner. You are still in love with him aren't you?"

Hermione nodded, she'd always known she was still in love with Draco but seeing him again only confirmed she was nowhere near getting over her ex-lover.

"Well then, it's simple. Go to dinner and see what happens." Alice insisted. "This could be your second chance, Hermione, don't let him slip away again."

"What happens if he hates me for keeping Scor from him? Or what if he only wants to restart our relationship because of Scorpius?" Hermione questioned. She was reluctant to pin her hopes on a future with Draco in case it didn't happen.

"First of all you don't have to mention Scorpius until you know what he wants from you." Alice said. She knew Hermione well enough to know that she would tell Draco about Scorpius now they were back in contact. "And secondly if he can't understand why you didn't tell him about Scorpius then maybe he isn't worth all the hassle."

"I suppose so." Hermione sighed.

"Hermione stop worrying and start living." Alice told the younger woman as she stood up. "Get up and make arrangements for this evening, I'll be back later to look after Scor."

After Alice left Hermione picked up the phone and left a message for Draco at his hotel before she lost her nerve. Once she had left the message and knew she was going to meet Draco, Hermione felt a lot better. She would wait until later to decide how to broach the subject of Scorpius, but Hermione knew that no matter what happened between her and Draco, he would finally find out that he had a son.

Knowing she still had a few hours to kill until she met Draco, Hermione decided to take Scorpius to play in the garden. Hopefully spending time with her son could take her mind off the fact that in a few days' time he could potentially meet his father. Hermione and Scorpius played in the garden until it was time for Scorpius' tea.

By the time Alice arrived to babysit Scorpius he had eaten, been bathed and was tucked up soundly in bed. Hermione herself was putting the finishing touches to her outfit and when she was ready she told Alice where she would be if she was needed before setting off on her date with Draco.

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**A/N - I would like to thank everyone who has commented on this story, the response has been overwhelming and I'm so glad so many people seem to be enjoying it. I finished writing this story yesterday and there will be seven chapters in all. I'll be posting the next one on Monday and will probably try to upload the rest next week as well. **


	4. Chapter 4

Draco waited nervously in the reception area of the hotel, he had been thrilled to receive Hermione's message but the closer it got to their meeting time the more nervous he was becoming. Draco was honestly beginning to think he would never see Hermione again when suddenly she had exploded back into his life, now all he had to do was make sure he didn't blow things a second time.

A minute or so before the time they had arranged to meet Draco spotted Hermione entering the hotel reception. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a emerald green top that hung off one shoulder while her hair was hanging loose down her back. Draco smiled at the sight of her wearing Slytherin colours as he approached her.

"Hi, you look lovely." Draco said as he approached Hermione.

"Thanks." Hermione couldn't help but blush slightly at the compliment. "I hope you don't mind me suggesting we just go somewhere less formal."

"Casual's fine." Draco reassured her.

It was actually Hermione herself that had introduced Draco to more casual nights out during their affair. Obviously they weren't able to be seen in public together so the restaurants Draco frequented were out on the few occasions they did happen to venture out together.

"I thought we could just go to the pub." Hermione said. "There's a couple of nice ones nearby that do good meals."

"That's fine." Draco said as they left the hotel.

As they walked the short distance to the pub neither spoke, instead they just marvelled at how comfortable it still felt to be in the other ones presence. When they arrived at the pub Hermione picked out a corner table that was relatively private while Draco went to get drinks and order the food.

As Hermione watched Draco chatting to the barman she couldn't help but think how far he had come from their school days. Once upon a time she would have laughed hysterically if someone had told her that Draco Malfoy could be perfectly at ease in a muggle pub, but here he was looking as though he belonged in the muggle world.

The first time Hermione had ever taken Draco to a pub was a few months into their affair and she had been nervous about how he would react, she knew he was massively different from the pureblood snob he had once been but she had still been worried about him being uncomfortable. Draco however surprised her totally by being completely at ease surrounded by muggles, the only problem he really had were the difference in drinks and food but he soon learnt to recognise the muggle equivalent of what he liked in the wizarding world.

"The food will be about fifteen minutes." Draco said as he returned to the table with the drinks. "I ordered you the lasagne, is that okay?"

"Yeah." Hermione smiled. She'd told Draco to pick her something as she was curious as to whether he still remembered what she liked, and considering he'd ordered her one of her favourite meals and brought her a glass of rose wine she figured he could clearly still remember what she liked.

As Draco settled into the seat opposite Hermione they both fell silent as they wondered how to begin. Before they could catch up properly it was clear they would have to discuss what had happened to leave them so far apart.

"So you didn't get married." Hermione finally started the conversation. "What exactly happened?"

"I finally plucked up the courage to admit I didn't want Pansy. I knew the minute you left that I was making the biggest mistake of my life but it took another few weeks to get up the courage to end the engagement."

"What did Pansy say?" Hermione asked. She knew Pansy didn't love Draco but from what she had gathered at the time the witch was much more into the idea of marrying Draco than he was of marrying her.

"Actually she was fine with it." Draco admitted. "It turns out she knew I'd been seeing someone else."

"She knew about us?" Hermione questioned, totally surprised that anyone had figured out what was happening between her and Draco.

"She didn't know who you were." Draco answered. "She knew I was seeing someone but she didn't know who and I didn't tell her. I wanted to speak to you before I told anyone about us."

"So the split was amicable then." Hermione said, deciding she wanted to find out more about his split with Pansy before delving into what he had done about trying to contact her.

"Yes. We decided we would both have a better chance at finding happiness with others." Draco said. "Pansy actually met someone six months after we split and she's due to be married next month."

"I'm pleased." Hermione said. While she'd never really liked Pansy, Hermione was glad that her affair with Draco hadn't ruined the other witches life. "What about you? Have you found happiness with someone else?"

"No, the witch I want had already left by the time I got my act together." Draco replied, looking pointedly at Hermione. He wanted her to know that there had been no-one else in his life, she was the only woman he wanted.

"How did you know I'd left?" Hermione asked.

"After everything was sorted with Pansy I visited your flat only to find a couple moving in. They explained that they had just bought the flat and had no idea where the previous owner had gone to." Draco said.

"Did you still look for me or did you give up?" Hermione questioned, taking a drink of her wine.

"I went to see Potter and Weasley, I figured they would know where you were." Draco chuckled as Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, clearly she hadn't though he would have gone to visit her friends. "At first they refused to tell me anything."

"At first?"

"Yes. When it became clear they weren't going to tell me where you were I told them the truth. I admitted we'd been having an affair and that I loved you and wanted you back."

"You told them you loved me." Hermione gasped. Not only was she shocked that Draco had admitted such a thing to her friends but she was shocked that neither Harry or Ron had mentioned it in their semi- regular correspondence.

"I did." Draco nodded, inwardly grimacing as he relived the humiliation of practically begging Potter and Weasley for information. "Eventually they believed me or took pity on me, I'm not sure which. But either way they said that you'd gone travelling and they had no idea where exactly you were. Although considering you're here, either they lied or you didn't travel very far."

"Harry and Ron didn't lie, I did." Hermione admitted. "I told them I was going travelling when really I had bought a cottage here. I knew if they knew where I was they would visit all the time and I really needed some time alone."

Draco was just about to begin questioning Hermione on her disappearance when the food came. Draco waited until the waiter had placed the food in between them and left them alone again before he began his questions.

"Why did you leave?"

"I couldn't stand the idea of being around while you got married." Hermione dropped her head and looked at her food as she spoke. "I figured I would leave for a while and when I was over you I could return. That way it wouldn't hurt as much to see you with Pansy."

"That was two years ago and you're still here. Does that mean you're still not over me?" Draco asked, hoping that Hermione still had feelings for him.

Hermione sighed and took a bite of her lasagne as she stalled for time. She still wasn't over Draco and even without Scorpius she would probably be nowhere near ready to return home, but she had to admit the main reason she was still here was her son.

Eventually Hermione looked up at Draco. "No, I'm still not over you. I still wouldn't be able to stand seeing you with someone else."

"I'm so sorry Hermione." Draco said. "I never meant to hurt you so much."

"It wasn't your fault Draco." Hermione said quietly. "I knew what I was getting into when I began seeing you."

"But everything would have been so much easier if I wasn't such a coward." Draco sighed. "If I'd just had the guts to stand up to my father earlier I could have saved us both so much pain."

"You can't beat yourself up over what you did and didn't do in the past." Hermione reached over the table and gently held onto Draco's hand as she was talking. "You just learn from your mistakes and don't do the same thing again."

"Believe me, I won't." Draco said, his thumb tracing patterns on the back of Hermione's hand. "I won't let my father stand in the way of what I want."

"What do you want?" Hermione asked, hoping the answer would be the same one he gave that afternoon.

"You." Draco replied. "I want a chance to prove how much I love you and to prove I'll never let you down again. I don't want to lose you again, Hermione, I need you."

Hermione smiled at Draco's words, she knew exactly how hard it must have been for him to even admit that to himself, let alone admit it to her.

"I think I'd like a second chance too." Hermione said, hoping Draco would still be as keen on reviving their relationship once he knew about Scorpius. "But before we make any big decisions about the future, I think we need to spend some time getting to know each other again."

"I think that's a good idea." Draco said. While they'd gotten to know each other extremely well over the course of their affair Draco knew there was still plenty more they needed to discover. "I can stay for the rest of the week and we can talk again then."

"I'd like that." Hermione smiled, wondering if Alice would be alright looking after Scorpius a bit more than normal in the coming week.

"Well since we're getting to know each other again how about you tell me how you ended up here and what you do with your time." Draco said.

For the rest of the meal Hermione explained about the book she was writing while Draco filled Hermione in on the progress he was making with expanding his father's business. The conversation stayed light and fluffy and neither mentioned their messy past or their potential future. Hermione also never mentioned Scorpius, she had decided to spend the week enjoying Draco's company before she would potentially destroy any chance they had of getting back together.

After dinner the couple went for a walk along the beach before Draco insisted on walking Hermione home. As they were walking Draco slipped his hand into Hermione's and they were still holding hands when they stopped outside Hermione's front gate.

"It looks nice." Draco commented, looking at Hermione's cosy cottage. " Do I get an invite to see indoors?" He asked hopefully.

Hermione laughed lightly and shook her head. "Not tonight." She knew that she couldn't let Draco see her cottage until she had told him about Scorpius as it was obvious a young child lived with her.

"Another time maybe." Draco said. "I had a good time tonight, thank you for giving me a second chance."

"We all deserve a second chance." Hermione whispered, hoping Draco would remember that when she told him he had a son.

Draco smiled before gently brushing his lips over Hermione's. "Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Draco." Hermione replied, as she reluctantly let go of his hand and entered her garden.

Hermione took a final look at Draco and smiled before she went inside her cottage. Draco stood watching the house for a few minutes before he turned and headed back to his hotel, a massive smile on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

"I want you to come home with me." Draco announced, causing Hermione to look up at him shock.

The couple were currently lying in the large bed in Draco's hotel room. After spending the entire week getting to know each other again they had finally given into the passion that was constantly simmering beneath the surface of their meetings. As much as the couple had enjoyed spending time together outside of the bedroom once they had tumbled into bed they felt complete and both knew they would never walk away from what they had together again.

"Or I could come and live here." Draco said, taking Hermione's silence as disapproval of him assuming she would be the one to move.

"You would come and live on a muggle island?" Hermione questioned, sitting up and propping herself against the headboard.

"If it meant being with you, yes." Draco replied. "I love you, Hermione and I'm not planning on letting you get away a second time."

"I love you, too." Hermione said, pressing a soft kiss to Draco's lips. "But it's a big decision and I need some time to think. There's also something else we need to discuss."

"What?" Draco asked.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow." Hermione replied, getting out of bed and beginning to redress. "And I promise I'll have an answer about moving back with you. If that's still what you want."

"Of course it'll still be what I want." Draco scoffed at the idea he would change his mind. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"We'll see tomorrow won't we." Hermione replied, leaning over and kissing Draco. "One o'clock on the beach."

"Okay." Draco responded, pulling Hermione into another kiss. "Are you sure you have to leave?" He mumbled, reluctantly breaking the kiss.

"Yes." Hermione replied, moving away from the bed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Draco complained about Hermione leaving for another few minutes, he even tried to tempt her back into bed at one point. Eventually though Hermione managed to leave Draco's hotel room and she set off back home with a spring in her step.

Arriving home Hermione found Alice was just putting Scorpius to bed. The minute Scorpius saw his mother he called out for her and demanded a story. While Hermione told Scorpius a story about dragons Alice tided the toys her son had been playing with earlier. Once Scorpius was fast asleep Hermione and Alice retreated into the front room where Hermione opened a bottle of wine for the two women to share.

"I take it things are going well with Draco." Alice commented. The change in Hermione since her ex had been back in her life had been extremely noticeable and Alice was pleased to see the younger woman looking so radiant.

"They are." Hermione nodded. "He asked me to return home with him."

"Are you going to?"

"That all depends on what happens tomorrow." Hermione sighed. "I'm taking Scor to meet him tomorrow afternoon and I was hoping you would be there."

"Of course I'll be there." Alice said. "What happens if things go well tomorrow?"

"If Draco is still up for it then we'll go home with him, if not we'll stay here and continue as we have been." Hermione replied. "Either way though, I'm hoping that Scorpius will have a father in his life."

"I hope everything works out for you, Hermione. You and Scor both deserve to be happy." Alice said, smiling at Hermione. "Although if you do go home I hope you won't forget to visit now and again."

"Of course I won't." Hermione said hugging the older woman. "You're like family to us and Scorpius would be devastated if he didn't see you regularly."

"The feeling's entirely mutual, dear." Alice said. "Scorpius is the closest thing I'll ever have to a grandchild and you know I think of you like a daughter."

Hermione smiled as she and Alice began making plans for the following day. Alice was clearly eager to meet Draco after hearing so much about him from Hermione. She was just hoping that everything went smoothly and Hermione and Scorpius got the family they deserved.

* * *

_**00000**_

* * *

As Draco made his way onto the beach his eyes scanned the golden sands for Hermione. Spotting the back of her head mid-way between where he was standing and the sea, Draco begun moving in her direction when suddenly a woman appeared in front of him.

"You must be Draco." The woman said, holding her hand out for the blond to shake. "I'm Alice, I'm Hermione's next door neighbour and good friend."

Draco quickly recovered from the shock of having someone thrust themselves upon them and greeted Hermione's friend politely. After the greetings Draco expected the woman to move aside but instead she just looked up at him, a calculating look on her face.

"I hope you're going to treat them right." Alice said. "Hermione has been through a lot and needs someone reliable in her life."

"I won't hurt her again." Draco said, wondering about Alice's choice of wording.

"You better not." Alice said, stepping aside and allowing Draco to continue walking.

Alice fell into step with Draco and as he approached Hermione he could feel the older woman watching him. Trying to ignore the scrutiny of the woman beside him Draco focused on Hermione, his movements however came to a sudden halt when a small boy suddenly came into his line of sight. He was near enough to hear the boy refer to Hermione as mummy, he was also near enough to notice the resemblance between himself and the boy.

"Is he mine?" Draco asked, turning to the woman who had come to a halt beside him.

"I think you know the answer to that one already." Alice replied. Hermione had told her that Scorpius was the spitting image of his father but until she had seen Draco for herself she hadn't realised just how truthful Hermione was being, one glance was more than enough to see the family resemblance. "Make sure you give her a chance to explain, she didn't keep him a secret to be malicious."

As Alice made her way towards Hermione and her son Draco stayed rooted to the spot, his eyes on the son he had never met. The boy was currently sitting a few inches away from Hermione digging a hole with a tiny spade. Draco watched Alice approach Hermione, she whispered a few words before sitting down an a nearby deckchair. After Alice had spoken to her Hermione turned round to look at Draco.

As he began walking towards Hermione once again Draco could clearly see the apprehension in her eyes. By the time Draco arrived at her side Hermione was standing up and watching him nervously. Not quite sure what to say Draco wrapped Hermione in his arms and kissed her deeply, he would listen to what she had to say but he knew nothing would ever change the way he felt about her.

"I didn't expect a response like that." Hermione admitted, once Draco had let go of her.

"You were expecting a bad response." Draco stated, slightly disappointed that Hermione though he would react negative towards her and their son.

"I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was working on the theory that if I prepared myself for a bad response it would be easier to handle if things went wrong." Hermione admitted.

"Do you still think things will go wrong?" Draco asked.

"I don't know." Hermione replied. "Are you mad I didn't tell you?"

"I don't know." Draco admitted. Everything was happening so quickly he had no idea how he felt about the fact he had a son. "What I do know is that you would have had your reasons for not telling me and I'm hoping you'll tell me them."

"Of course I will." Hermione smiled, relived that Draco was being reasonable so far. "But first do you want to meet your son?"

Draco nodded as Hermione sat back down on the sand, pulling him with her. When they were settled Hermione reached over for their son and placed him on the sand in between them. Being moved didn't seem to bother him in the slightest, he just began digging at a patch of sand beside him.

"Draco, this is Scorpius." Hermione said, her hand resting protectively on the little boys head.

"Scorpius. You named him after a constellation." Draco was surprised and pleased that Hermione had carried on his mother's family's tradition even though he wasn't around to tell her that was what he wanted to do.

"I remember you once said you wanted your children to carry on the tradition." Hermione said. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind." Draco said, his eyes firmly on the little boy beside him. "I'm just surprised you remembered."

"I remember everything of our time together." Hermione said softly, her eyes locking with Draco's as they looked at each other for a good minute.

"Mummy, play." Scorpius throwing sand at Hermione broke the couple out of their little bubble.

"How about you play with a new friend." Hermione suggested, turning her son's attention towards Draco. "Scor, this is your daddy. He'll play with you."

Scorpius tilted his head and looked at Draco for a minute. "Daddy, play." He cried, throwing a spade full of sand at Draco.

Draco chuckled as he reached for his son, he knew that Scorpius was too young to comprehend what the word daddy meant but he was still thrilled the little boy was calling him it so soon. As Draco began playing and getting to know his son Hermione watched them with tears in her eyes.

For nearly half an hour Draco played with Scorpius, discovering more about him. The fact he'd instantly been comfortable with Draco proved he was a friendly child but Draco was surprised to find he was also a chatterbox. Once they started playing he continually kept up a steady stream of chattering, even though Draco could only understand about a quarter of what he was saying. Hermione explained that while Scorpius was quite content to play for hours in silence when he was on his own the second he had someone to play with he turned into a little motor mouth.

After a short while of playing happily Alice took Scorpius to get an ice cream, giving Hermione and Draco time to talk.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Scorpius." Hermione began once Alice and her son were out of earshot. "I honestly thought I was doing the best thing for everyone."

"Surely you knew I would have supported you, I wouldn't have just abandoned my son." Draco said, wondering if Hermione hadn't told him because she thought he wouldn't want to know about Scorpius.

"I know that, Draco. I never doubted for a minute that you would be there for Scorpius." Hermione said. "I knew no matter what the situation you would support him and love him."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Draco asked, genuinely confused by Hermione's decision.

"The day I found out I was pregnant was the day you were due to marry Pansy. While I was discovering I was carrying your child I thought you were marrying another woman." Hermione explained. "I thought about telling you but in the end I decided not to ruin your marriage. I didn't want you to have to cope with the fact I was pregnant just after you'd gotten married."

Draco looked out at the sea as he silently contemplated what Hermione was telling him, it was actually making a lot of sense. If he had married Pansy it would have been awful timing for Hermione to then turn up carrying his child.

"I take it Potter and Weasley don't know about Scorpius." Draco said eventually. "I'm guessing if they knew they either would have told you I wasn't married or told me I had abandoned my son."

"No, Harry and Ron know nothing about Scor." Hermione said. She was still wondering what Draco felt about her reasons for not informing him of Scorpius sooner as he hadn't responded to those comments.

"Are you planning on telling them?" Draco asked, still not removing his gaze from the sea.

"That really all depends on you." Hermione said. "Obviously I'll tell them if I return home with you but if you don't want that, then I'm not really sure."

"You would come home with me?" Draco asked, turning his head to face Hermione.

"Yes, if your offer still stands." Hermione said, uncertain of whether Draco would still want to be with her.

"Of course it still stands." Draco said. He was suddenly understanding why Hermione had been unsure of his position the previous day, she didn't know how he would react about Scorpius. "I told you yesterday, I'm not letting you go again."

"What about Scorpius?" Hermione asked. "Does he change anything?"

"Other than the fact we're now going to be a family, no. He doesn't change how I feel about you." Draco responded. "Is that why you've waited until now to introduce us? Were you worried I would reject you if I knew about him?"

"Actually it was the other way round." Hermione said, causing Draco to frown in confusion. "I was worried that if you had known about Scor from the start that you would have wanted to get back together for his sake."

"You wanted to be sure I really wanted you." Draco exclaimed, understanding why Hermione had kept the two separate for the week.

"Yes, I was always planning on telling you about Scorpius, but the only way I would have gotten romantically involved with you again was if you wanted me on my own." Hermione said. "I don't want to be with someone just because they think it's the right thing to do, I want to be with someone who wants to be with me because they love me."

"You don't have to worry about that, I'm with you because I love you. Scorpius is a brilliant surprise and I'm looking forward to being a father but I would still be sitting here wanting you to come home with me even if he didn't exist."

After he finished speaking Draco leant down and kissed Hermione passionately. Hermione eagerly returned the kiss and they were still embracing when Alice and Scorpius returned a few minutes later. After reassuring Alice they didn't need more time alone Draco and Hermione settled down to begin talking about their future while Scorpius carried on with his digging.


	6. Chapter 6

Narcissa Malfoy paced the floor in front of the fireplace, wishing it was time to leave. She and Lucius were off to see Draco after not seeing him for over a month. The last time the Malfoy's had seen their son was just before Lucius had sent him off to the Isle of Wight.

Draco's weekend trip had turned into a ten day stay and when he had returned home he had sent a message to Lucius saying he was taking a few weeks off work. Narcissa had tried flooing Draco to find out what was happening but the connection wasn't working. She'd even tried apparating into his house but the wards wouldn't allow her entry. Eventually she had sent her son an angry letter demanding to know what was going on. Draco had responded to her letter with one of his own saying he had major news to share but would be in contact when the time was right. The previous day Narcissa had received an owl from Draco asking if she and Lucius would pay him a visit and he would finally tell them what was happening.

Narcissa was only hoping that whatever news Draco had that it was good and it would restore some sort of life into her son. For the last two years Draco had merely been going through the motions of living and Narcissa had begun to get seriously worried about him. Narcissa had known exactly what was bothering her son but she also had no idea how to fix the problem.

When Draco had broken off his engagement to Pansy he had confided in Narcissa that he had been seeing another witch and was actually in love with her. At the time Narcissa didn't know who Draco had been involved with but with the events that followed she soon worked it out. Initially Draco had been excited with the thought of been able to be with the witch he loved publically but those dreams had soon been shattered when he discovered she'd disappeared. While Draco was moping and searching for the missing witch the papers started reporting on the mysterious vanishing act Hermione Granger had pulled, even her friends wouldn't or couldn't say where she was. It hardly took a genius to connect the two disappearances and Narcissa was easily able to work out the witch Draco was involved with was Hermione.

Narcissa had never actually broached the subject with Draco as in all honesty she was unsure of what she thought. Obviously the most important thing for Narcissa was Draco's happiness but she couldn't just ignore everything she had been brought up to believe in regard to muggleborns. While Narcissa wasn't overly happy with Draco's involvement with a muggleborn the more she watched him suffer the more she came to realise that if Hermione Granger was who made her son happy then she would learn to live with her blood status. Unfortunately for Draco it was now two years since she had disappeared and it wasn't looking like she would return any time soon.

Keeping her fingers crossed that whatever Draco had to say was good news, Narcissa checked the time once more. Smiling as she realised it was time to go Narcissa called for her husband, who had been doing some work in his study. The second Lucius Malfoy walked into the room Narcissa grabbed the floo powder and stepped into the flames, calling out the address of her only son.

Narcissa arrived in Draco's front room to find it empty, much to her disappointment. The room wasn't empty for long however as her husband stepped out of the flames behind her at the exact same time as Draco entered the room.

"Draco." Narcissa greeted her son with a large smile and hug. "You're looking well." She pulled back to look at her son, for the first time in two years he looked really happy and content.

"Thank you mother, you're looking very well yourself." Draco smiled at his mother before turning to Lucius. "Hello, father."

"Draco, it's nice to see you." Lucius nodded. He wasn't a demonstrative man and wouldn't dream of hugging Draco in the way his wife had just done. "Do you have any plans to return to work?"

Draco chuckled at his father's directness, it was just like Lucius to get straight down to business with the minimum of pleasantries. "I was hoping to return next week, providing today goes smoothly."

"And why wouldn't today go smoothly, we're only having afternoon tea." Lucius raised an enquiring eyebrow at his son. "And why would today's events affect you coming back to work?"

"I have some news for the pair of you." Draco said, ushering his parents into seats. "I have no idea what you're going to think but if things go badly then I won't be returning to work."

"Now you're making us nervous, Draco." Narcissa said. "What do you have to tell us."

"Before I tell you, I want you both to know that I'm really happy." Draco said, hoping his happiness would soften the blow of being involved with a muggleborn.

"We're thrilled for you." Lucius drawled, sounding slightly impatient. "Now will you just tell us what's going on."

"I'm involved with someone." Draco said, even after hours of worrying he still hadn't decided on the best way to tell his parents about Hermione and Scorpius. "It's very serious, she's just finished moving in with me and I'm planning on proposing quite soon."

"Do we get to meet this witch?" Lucius asked, wondering why Draco was being so secretive about the identity of his girlfriend.

"Yes, but there's something else you need to know as well." Draco said. "While we've only been back together a few weeks we were together a couple of years ago."

Narcissa's sharp inhale of breath caused both Draco and Lucius to look at her curiously. "This is the same witch that was the reason you ended your engagement isn't it?" She asked Draco, wondering how Lucius was going to take the news.

Draco nodded at the same time Lucius demanded to know what was happening, as at the time he hadn't known about the other woman in Draco's life. Draco explained the basics of what had happened two years ago, although he left out the identity of the witch and the existence of his son for the time being.

"It must be serious then, if your feelings are still there after two years." Lucius said after Draco had explained the real reason behind his failed engagement to Pansy.

"It is." Draco said. "Do you want to meet her?"

"Of course." Narcissa said, wondering if she should try and warn her husband.

Narcissa didn't get a chance to warn Lucius as Draco went to the doorway and almost immediately returned with a brunette witch following him. While Narcissa had only met Hermione a handful of times she still easily recognised the witch and judging by the way Lucius had tensed up he had also recognised the woman Draco was now putting his arm around.

"Mother, father, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Hermione Granger." Draco said, making sure to keep a tight grip of Hermione's waist. He knew Hermione was nervous about the meeting and he wanted her to know he wasn't leaving her side throughout the ordeal.

Lucius glared at the couple but made no attempt to either get up or say anything. Narcissa on the other hand stood up and politely offered her hand to Hermione.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Granger."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs Malfoy." Hermione replied, shaking the older witch's hand.

"Are you going to say anything, father?" Draco asked as Lucius continued to sit in silence.

"Well I'm hardly going to say welcome to the family am I." Lucius snapped as he stood up. "I'm disappointed Draco, I thought I'd raised you to know better. Getting involved with a mudblood, it's a disgrace."

At Lucius's words both Hermione and Draco produced their wands. Fearing a full on duel Narcissa grabbed onto Lucius as she spotted him reaching for his own wand. Neither Draco or Hermione turned their wands on Lucius, instead they both muttered charms to silence the room. Hermione then replaced her wand but Draco kept his held loosely in his hand as he turned back to his father.

"Never call Hermione that again." Draco said, his voice sounding low and dangerous.

"Why did you both silence the room?" Narcissa asked, cutting over Lucius as he began to reply to Draco. She could tell from both her husband and sons stances that if left to their own devices they could very easily destroy their relationship and she was determined that wasn't going to happen.

Hermione looked at Draco who nodded briefly before she answered Narcissa's question. "We didn't want the noise to carry."

"Carry to where?" Narcissa asked.

"The nursery." Hermione replied.

"Nursery?" Narcissa questioned.

"This is ridiculous." Lucius exploded before Narcissa could stop him. "First you get tangled up with a mudblood and now you're raising her spawn."

Before anyone could react Draco had pinned Lucius against the wall and was holding his wand as his father's throat. "I told you to never call Hermione that, if you do it one more time then we're finished. And for your information I'm not raising Hermione's 'spawn', we are raising our son."

"Son!" Narcissa collapsed back onto the chair at Draco's words. "How is this possible?"

"I was pregnant when I left and didn't find out until after I was settled." Hermione said, settling onto the sofa. "I thought Draco had married Pansy and I didn't want to destroy their marriage so I stayed away."

"We have a grandson." Narcissa still sounded slightly shocked by the surprising turn of events. "Can we meet him?"

Hermione turned to get Draco's opinion, he was still standing in front of his father with his wand pointed at the older wizard but it was no longer directly against his throat. Lucius meanwhile had paled significantly and he looked at a loss for words for once.

"That really all depends." Draco said, looking directly at his father. "If you meet Scorpius you have to behave civilly, that means no more name calling or malicious sniping. I don't want my son hearing you calling his mother names."

"We can behave, can't we Lucius." Narcissa glared at her husband, daring him to argue with her.

As all eyes turned to Lucius he stepped away from the wall and straightened his robes. "I can behave myself. I would very much like to meet my grandson."

Hermione and Draco both looked surprised by Lucius's sudden acceptance of Scorpius, both of them were actually expecting him to be disgusted with the fact his grandson was a half blood. While Hermione went to fetch Scorpius, Narcissa asked about his name, thrilled that they had carried on with her family's tradition of naming children after constellations and stars.

When Hermione returned carrying Scorpius both Narcissa and Lucius stared at their grandson. Hermione sat down with Scorpius on her knee as the little boy looked over at the two strangers.

"He looks just like Draco did when he was a baby." Narcissa exclaimed. "How old is he?"

"He's just turned nineteen months." Hermione replied.

"Can I hold him?" Narcissa asked hopefully.

Hermione nodded as she stood up and handed Scorpius to his grandmother. Scorpius immediately snuggled into Narcissa as he continued to stare at Lucius. Hermione went back to join Draco on the sofa as they watched Narcissa making a fuss over Scorpius. Lucius looked less sure of the little boy but eventually he leant over and gently stroked his head.

When Scorpius grabbed onto Lucius's long hair and yanked it, both Hermione and Draco shot up ready to take their son. Lucius however surprised the couple by merely laughing and leaning further over so Scorpius could grab more of his hair.

"You used to do the same thing when you were a baby." Narcissa told her shocked looking son. She knew that memories of Lucius being a loving father were few and far between for Draco but it didn't mean they hadn't happened.

"Would you like some tea?" Hermione asked as Draco's parents continued to fuss over Scorpius.

"That would be lovely thank you." Narcissa replied, nudging her husband.

Lucius looked up from where he was conversing with a babbling Scorpius. Hermione saw him take a deep breath before he spoke but when he did it was surprisingly polite. "Tea would be much appreciated, thank you."

Hermione tried not to look too shocked as she headed into the kitchen to make the tea. Draco followed her and while they made the tea they discussed how much easier the afternoon was going than they had expected. As they headed back into the front room Hermione hoped that things ran as smoothly with Harry, Ron and Ron's family when she saw them and told them about her new life.


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't get why you're so nervous." Draco said. Moving to stand behind Hermione, he wrapped his arms around the witch and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "Compared to my parents telling the Weasley's about us should be a walk in the park."

"I just don't want them to think badly of me." Hermione sighed. "Having an affair with a man who's engaged to someone else is hardly the type of behaviour Molly and Arthur would approve of."

"That's all in the past." Draco said, trying to reassure Hermione. "Besides, we were in love." He added, dropping another kiss to her cheek.

"Maybe by the end, but we certainly didn't love each other when we started." Hermione pointed out.

"The important thing is we love each other now." Draco shrugged, unconcerned that they wouldn't be able to use being in love as an excuse for their affair. "Although if they look as though they're going to be problematic we'll just introduce them to Scorpius, that worked wonders with father."

Hermione chuckled, remembering how Lucius had suddenly became a different person with the introduction of his grandson. "Who would have thought the best way to get Lucius to behave like a human being was a baby."

"He did seem rather taken with Scorpius, didn't he?" Draco smiled at the memories. He had been worried that Lucius would want nothing to do with him or Scorpius so he was relieved that his father had acted pretty reasonable in the end.

"At least he was taken with someone." Hermione muttered. "He made it perfectly clear he didn't approve of me."

Draco turned Hermione around in his arms and lifted her head before he spoke next. "It doesn't matter if father approves or not, we're finally together and nothing is going to change that."

Hermione smiled before wrapping her arms tightly around Draco's neck and pulling his head down to hers. Draco pulled Hermione closer to him as the couple's lips met in a passion filled kiss. As Draco deepened the kiss his hands began to wander under Hermione's top, causing her to reluctantly pull away.

"We don't have time for that." Hermione scolded. "Harry and The Weasley's will be here any minute."

Right on cue the sound of the floo network activating echoed around the room. Draco gave Hermione a reassuring smile before quickly leaving the room, seconds before the green flames lit up and the first visitor stepped out of the fire. As Hermione turned to greet her guests she wasn't the slightest bit upset that Draco had left her alone, they had decided it would be best for her to speak to everyone before he made an appearance.

Harry was the first one out of the fire and he grabbed Hermione in a tight hug the second he laid eyes on her. Harry had barely let go of her before Hermione was swept up into Ron's arms, he had arrived seconds after Harry.

"It's so good to see you two." Hermione said, smiling at Harry and Ron.

"It's good to see you, too." Harry grinned.

"We've really missed you." Ron added.

"I've missed you too." Hermione said, turning back to the fireplace as it lit up yet again.

From the brief delay in between Harry and Ron's entrance and everyone else's, Hermione was figuring that the Weasley's had deliberately given the trio a few moments alone before they all descended.

Ginny was the first to arrive after the boys, closely followed by Molly and Arthur. Hermione hugged all three Weasley's in greeting and all three mentioned how well she looked. Bill and Fleur were the next to arrive, followed by Charlie, Percy and George. Like the rest of the family they all hugged Hermione and welcomed her home.

Once everyone had arrived Hermione settled everyone into seats while she used magic to prepare some refreshments. Once everyone had a drink Hermione settled into her own seat and watched the family she still considered to be her own. After her parents hadn't been located in Australia after the war it was the Weasley's love and support that had gotten her through the pain of losing them.

"So you're back." George said, breaking the silence in the room. "Are you staying?"

"Yes, I'm back for good." Hermione answered, much to the obvious joy of the family.

"This is a nice house, it looks expensive." Fleur commented. She was currently looking around the large room and she had spotted several pieces of furniture and a couple of paintings that looked as though they cost a lot of money.

"Fleur." Bill hissed, appalled at his wife's manners. She had a tendency to just say what was on her mind and could often end up sounding rude.

"It's alright, I think the house is pretty expensive." Hermione chuckled at Fleur's outright nature.

"You think? You mean you don't know?" Percy questioned. "How much money do you have if you can buy a house and not know it's value?"

"I don't own the house." Hermione said, realising she had been given a perfect opportunity to mention Draco early on. "My boyfriend does."

"Boyfriend? So it's a man that's brought you home." George smirked. "A rich one at that."

Hermione spotted Harry and Ron exchanging looks, so she waited for one of them to speak. She was guessing that they were putting two and two together and realising who she was living with.

"Is it him?" Harry asked. "Is it Malfoy?"

"Yes, it's Draco who I'm with." Hermione said, noticing that no-one seemed surprised by Harry's mention of the blond Slytherin.

"He was telling the truth." Ron sounded slightly disbelieving as he spoke. "Damn, I thought he was lying."

"Well that's nice, Weasley." Draco's voice sounded from the doorway and everyone turned to watch as the blond entered the room and made his way over to Hermione, sitting down on the arm of her chair. "I threw myself on your mercy and pleaded for information and you still thought I was lying."

"Well it didn't exactly seem likely, you and Hermione." Ron said, looking slightly uncomfortable as Draco had put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and she had moved closer to him.

"I told you, they had been together." Ginny crowed at her brother. "It's not my fault you chose not to believe me."

"Nobody believed you, Gin." Ron scoffed.

At Hermione and Draco's confusion, Harry explained that after Draco had first visited him and Ron they had discussed his visit with the entire family. Ginny had admitted that he was telling the truth about the affair but no-one would believe her. She had however convinced Harry to tell him what they knew about Hermione's whereabouts, which wasn't much.

"So I take it this was your real reason for leaving." Molly said, gesturing to the couple.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "I couldn't stick around while Draco married Pansy, so I left."

"So how are you back home and back with him after two years?" Bill questioned.

For the next ten minutes Hermione and Draco explained running into each other on the Isle of Wight. Hermione had a bit of explaining to do regarding her lie about travelling but luckily everyone understood her reasoning for wanting to be alone.

"Does this mean you two are officially a couple?" Harry asked as the explanations drew to a close.

"What gave it away?" Draco muttered sarcastically. "The fact we're sitting here together explaining our relationship or the fact we're living together."

"I was just checking that you weren't planning on keeping Hermione as your dirty little secret again." Harry glared at the blond. It was obvious that Hermione was happy but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be looking out for her.

"Harry, it wasn't like that." Hermione said, feeling the need to defend Draco and their past relationship.

"The answer to your question Potter is yes, we are officially a couple." Draco told Harry. "And I have no intention of hiding our relationship, we're together and we don't care who knows."

"Does that include your parents?" Arthur asked. "I can't imagine Lucius would be too pleased with your relationship."

"He's not overly impressed but we found a way to convince him we're serious." Draco said.

"How?" Harry asked, curious as to how they managed to get Lucius to accept their relationship.

"We introduced him to someone special." Hermione said. "Our son."

As the questions started flying Hermione did her best to explain the situation while Draco stood up and slipped out of the room. Less than five minutes later Draco re-entered the room with Scorpius contentedly nestled in his arms. The minute Draco entered the room everyone fell silent as they observed father and son walk over to Hermione.

"Wow, talk about a mini Malfoy." George broke the silence. "You'd never be able to pass that kid off as anyone else's would you, 'Mione?"

"No, that was one of the reason's I never told you lot where I was." Hermione said. "I knew all you would need was one look at Scor to recognise who his father was."

"I wish you had told us, Hermione." Ginny sighed, watching as Draco pulled faces at his son. "If I'd know I could have told you Malfoy wasn't married and you three could have been together all this time."

"There's no point dwelling on the past." Hermione told Ginny. "There's a lot of things we could and probably should have done different, but the important thing is we're together now and Scorpius has both his parents."

"He also has all of us." Molly declared. "Hermione is part of the family so that means her family is our family."

"Thanks Molly, I really appreciate it." Hermione smiled at the older witch.

"I wasn't just talking about Scorpius you know." Molly said, directing her words towards Draco. "If you and Hermione are serious then I expect you to be part of the family too."

"I'd be honoured." Draco told Molly. The best he had been hoping for was for the Weasley's to agree to tolerate him, he never for one minute expected to be considered part of the family. "Would you like to meet Scorpius properly?" He asked the witch.

"I'd love to." Molly beamed as Draco walked across the room with Scorpius and placed him in her arms.

After Molly had held him Scorpius travelled to Arthur's lap before the rest of the Weasley's got to know the little boy. Hermione had initially been wary of everyone's attention being on her son but it turned out Scorpius loved being the centre of attention, in fact several times when he wasn't being made a fuss over he caused a commotion until the attention was firmly back on him.

As well as getting to know Scorpius the Weasley's all made an effort to get to know Draco as well. While Hermione knew that at times it would still be awkward between Draco and the Weasley's, everyone was making an effort and she was hoping that more often than not everything would run smoothly when they all met up.

As Hermione sat watching Draco talking with George while Ginny made a fuss of Scorpius, Harry and Ron came to sit either side of her on the sofa she was now sitting on.

"It's good to have you home, Hermione." Harry said.

Hermione smiled at Harry and Ron before she turned to observe the flurry of activity in the room, sighing in contentment. "It's good to be home." She said, still smiling.

**The End.**

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**A/N - I hope people enjoyed the story. It was just a cute, fluff piece I wrote as a distraction from some of my more drama filled stories. **

**Thank you all for the many kind reviews I've had regarding this story, they really mean a lot to me.**


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